buschman

Okay so at first I wasn't too alarmed. I mean I have been running around pretty rich and figured I fouled some spark plugs. But I've replaced all the obvious thing and the car still wont start.

History:
Basically about 8 months ago I was washing the Hawk and it wouldn't start when I tried to pull it into the garage. No biggie, it was around fall and I needed to do some stuff to it anyways. I figured it was the spark plugs cause I remember prior to that it was having a little trouble holding an idle. Like if I went WOT and then pushed in the clutch the RPMs would fall but not catch the needle in time and the car might stall. Pretty easy to fix when you're going 50+ mph. First gear was really jerky, but I wasn't sure at the time if that was a result of the clutch setup or the tune/richness in the engine. But anyways that's all I remember seeing prior the 8 month downtime.

So I complete all my projects with the car about a month ago, including new spark plugs. I start the car and it starts up. So I figure I hit the issue, it was the plugs that had fouled out. So I take it for a test drive. It's driving like garbage. It won't hold an idle for anything. Forget coming off of a WOT run. I can just be cruising at 1500 RPM and push in the clutch and the idle wont catch and it will stall. Unless I'm at a dead stop and feather the throttle for a second, that’s about the only way the idle will hold.

The drive itself was also really bad. When I first start to accelerate I get heavy lag and bogging down of the engine. I also am getting a lot of backfiring. Then it kind of breaks through all that and at around 2500 RPMs starts accelerating okay. Then at about 4000 it still sounds okay but you feel the power hit an absolute ceiling. I'm sort of guessing at the RPM levels, I don't know if it is those exact numbers.

So I figure maybe putting the cats back in was a bad idea. I park it for a week, put the race pipes back in and try to start it again and get nothing. For the past three weeks I have been testing and replacing things in the ignition and fuel system to try and help and still I get nothing even remotely close to a running engine. The starter keeps trying but the motor absolutely will not turn itself over.

What I've tried:
So apart from new plugs, in the past three weeks I have replaced the plug wires which I was sure was the problem. But apparently it wasn't. It tested the coil packs and they are all throwing spark. Last night I pulled the 42# SVO injectors and put the stock injectors back in to see if the thing would even start. It wouldn't. Not sure if I need to alter the tune for the smaller injectors just to start the car(forget trying to drive it). I knew it would be lean but I figured if it started up that's all the testing I would need to know that the injectors were the problem. But it didn't start.

So now I'm not sure what is the problem. I don't know if the injectors are getting a signal. I don't think O2s would keep it from starting. I'm getting proper fuel pressure readings from my gauges so I don't think that is the problem. Could it be bad cylinder compression? I mean even with crap compression wouldn't it still start and just run like garbage? Bad fuel? Can it get so bad that it just absolutely will not ignite a single cylinder? Is this a bad sensor? Cam position?

I'm looking for ideas.

Thanks guys,
Mike

buschman

Maybe that's a bit much to expect people to read. Summorized version.

8 months ago, car driving poorly. Bucky 1st gear and occationally stalled. The one day it wouldn't start.

About a month ago I swap plugs, started it up took it for a test drive and it ran like garbage. Couldn't hold an idle for nothing, backfired, bogged, way down on power etc.

That one test run is the only time it started up and ran. Now it just wont start.

I have replaced spark plugs and spark plug wires. I swapped the cats for race pipes. I have swapped my SVO 42# injectors for stock injectors. I have tested the coil packs and they all work. I did switch spark plugs from TR-6 to a colder plug with more surface area.

I am supercharged with a custom fuel system.

So what's next? What else could be my problem here?

Thanks for any help,
Mike

98SS1LWEE

iTrader: (25)

same issue, very curious, anyone know? I'm not supercharged and mine still runs, but had tune, motor pulling timing from about five degrees of knock. Similar issues, anyone?

staringback05

iTrader: (8)

id say look into that custom fuel system, also check some sensor wires to make sure you dont have any burnt or crossed, thus making the car run in safe mode...